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Most applaud as Fitchburg Main Street goes one lane (VIDEO)

By Cliff Clark, cclark@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
09/23/2016 08:20:20 AM EDT

Traffic barriers block part of Main Street by the intersections of Cushing and Blossom streets in downtown Fitchburg on Thursday. Main Street becomes a single lane at this point.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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FITCHBURG -- The downtown's newest wrinkle, a one-lane Main Street, officially opened Thursday morning, and early opinions are, for the most part, positive.

Despite the positive reviews, the Police Department is making a few traffic light adjustments to help traffic move a bit more smoothly.

"I think it's a great idea," said Pete Cote, the owner of Beemers Pub & Grill as he looked across the intersection of Main, Cushing and Blossom streets, right in front of his business.

Cote said he was surprised at how orderly the traffic funneled from the intersection of Day, Water and Main streets into the one lane.

Potential backups at the intersection was one of the concerns that arose when the idea was first proposed over a year ago as a way to discourage speeding on Main Street and to create a lane for bicyclists.

A tractor-trailer driver ran into trouble after pulling off Boulder Drive and up Cushing Street and attempting a left turn onto Main Street on Thursday. Traffic came to a halt after the driver had to stop, jump from his cab and move traffic barriers so he could complete the left turn.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

Just moments after Cote's observation, a full-length tractor-trailer pulled off Boulder Drive and up Cushing Street and attempted a left turn onto Main Street.

Traffic came to a grinding halt after the driver of the truck had to stop, jump from his cab and move traffic barriers so he could complete the left turn.

"That's one of the things that will need to be addressed," said Cote as he watched.

He said all too often truckers, who appear to be attempting to save a minute or two, will turn off Boulder onto Cushing instead of driving under the Water Street bridge and taking the left onto Main at Montouri Oil Co.

Despite the momentary delay, travelers took it in stride, without honking or gesturing.

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"People will get used to it. (The old traffic pattern) has not worked for 35 years. We have to give it a shot," said Cote, who added that prohibiting large trucks from using Cushing is the obvious answer to that issue.

On Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Ernest Martineau said he has requested the Department of Public Works place a sign at Cushing prohibiting tractor-trailers from using it to access Main Street.

"I think it's great. Traffic was going all nice and slow this morning. It was all good," said Joyce Starr, a clerk at Shack's, the clothing store downtown.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

Martineau also said that the traffic light at Oliver and Putnam streets will also be switched to a flashing yellow along Main, instead of a red-green cycle.

"This will hopefully eliminate any backups," said Martineau, who added that he is having Oliver Street made a single-way road like it has been in the past. That mean, he said, motorists on Putnam will not be able to cross Main to access Oliver Street. And motorist will not be able to turn right off Main onto Oliver.

The chief also said that officers will be stepping up traffic enforcement efforts to ensure motorists are not using the bike lanes and loading lanes as parking areas.

Cote, after suggesting the changes to Cushing, had another, long-term idea, for the side street.

Domingo Vicioso, owner of Bonao's Barber Shop at 381 Main St., was conflicted by the street's change from two lanes to one. He said it would be good for businesses downtown, but overall for city residents, he thought it would be a bad thing.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

He proposed making Cushing a two-way street -- it is now one-way -- and then making Boulder a two-way street. That way, travelers heading west through the city could go through downtown or take a left on Cushing and then go west on Boulder.

However, he acknowledged that reconfiguration might be a few years down the road.

Domingo Vicioso, owner of Bonao's Barber Shop at 381 Main St., was conflicted by the street's change from two lanes to one.

He said it would be good for businesses downtown, but overall for city residents, he thought it would be a bad thing.

"It was a mistake," he said while trimming a customer's hair.

Rob Graves, an ink artist at Red House Iron Tattoo, like Vicioso, was ambivalent about the change.

"It's definitely going to slow traffic down," said Graves.

At Shack's, one of several anchor businesses downtown, manager Kent Bourgault said he was for the change "from day one."

"It was needed," he said, adding that part of his support was the creation of the new bike lane.

"We have to get bicycles off the sidewalk," he said.

One of the Shack's clerks, Joyce Starr, was all for the change.

"I think it's great. Traffic was going all nice and slow this morning. It was all good," she said.

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